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Group collects gowns for soldiers’ wives

MOBILE, Ala. — Mary Burnett has been writing letters to deployed troops for more than four years.

Burnett is a member of Soldiers’ Angels, a national group of volunteers who offer support to deployed soldiers and their families.

Through programs like Adopt-A-Soldier, Blankets of Hope and Operation Outreach, the volunteers make a difference in the lives of veterans, wounded and deployed personnel and their families in a variety of ways.

Burnett has “adopted” eight soldiers to date and writes letters once a week to soldiers who have not been “adopted.”

“I realized how valuable a simple letter was when my brother was deployed in Desert Storm,” Burnett said. “I heard about Soldiers’ Angels on the radio and looked them up. I’ve been writing ever since.”

Burnett is on a new mission now. She hopes to send hundreds of dresses to a group of soldiers’ wives in California.

“I heard from my Soldiers’ Angels contact that she was trying to organize a ball for a unit in Bakersfield, California. She really didn’t know much about throwing a ball. She said that none of the wives had ever attended a ball and would probably need help getting dresses.”

Burnett, having attended more Mardi Gras balls in Mobile than she can count, said she immediately volunteered to clean out her closet.

“I still had gowns with the tags on them,” she said. “And I figured there were lots of other women who could help also.”

After contacting her friends and family, Burnett rallied the troops, and “Operation Ball Gown” began.

“My niece … is collecting the dresses,” Burnett said, adding that gowns of all sizes are needed.

Burnett said she has enjoyed sharing the knowledge that Mobile, not New Orleans, is the birthplace of Mardi Gras.

“And the California liaison says she has told everyone about Mobile’s Mardi Gras,” she added.

This effort is going to mean a lot to the families in California, Burnett said.

“I am told that this is the first time this unit has been assigned a family readiness coordinator to assist them. No one has ever done anything really special for them.”

The military ball honoring soldiers who have served in Iraq is Dec. 5 in Bakersfield.

To learn more about the effort, visit www.soldiersangels.org.